


Donna's the Boss

by westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist



Category: The West Wing
Genre: Alternate Universe, F/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2004-10-19
Updated: 2004-10-19
Packaged: 2019-05-30 22:27:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,095
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15106076
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist/pseuds/westwingfanfictioncentral_archivist
Summary: Donna's the DCoS and Josh is DDCoS





	Donna's the Boss

**Author's Note:**

> A copy of this work was once archived at National Library, a part of the [ West Wing Fanfiction Central](https://fanlore.org/wiki/West_Wing_Fanfiction_Central), a West Wing fanfiction archive. More information about the Open Doors approved archive move can be found in the [announcement post](http://archiveofourown.org/admin_posts/8325).

**Donna’s the Boss**

**by:** Samantha

**Character(s):** Josh, Donna  
**Pairing(s):** Josh/Donna  
**Category(s):** Romance, AU   
**Rating:** PG-13  
**Summary:** Donna’s the DCoS and Josh is DDCoS  
**Author's Note:** Funny little challenge from a while ago where Donna’s the boss. Little twist at the end. **Disclaimer(s):** Do they look like mine?  


I open my eyes and he’s standing in my doorway.

“I called you ten minutes ago, Josh.”

“I know. Sorry. I was with --.”

“Don’t care. Do you have my files?”

“Yes.” He walks in and puts them on my desk. “I have a lunch date ... can I go?”

“What time is it?” As if I care about his personal life.

“It’s noon.”

“Yeah. Go.” I look back down to my work. Why does he have to be so damn annoying? I mean, he is entitled to lunch. All he has to say is, ‘Donna. I’m taking lunch.’ But no. He can’t do that. He has to tell me all about his damn love life. I don’t care what he does in his spare time ... the time, might I add, that I am sitting in here working on finance reports and some kind of sewage thing for the EPA.

“Josh!”

He pokes his head in my door. “Be careful. It’s cold out there. Black ice and whatnot.”

He smiles. “Sure. You want me to bring back anything?”

“Nah. I don’t even want you thinking about me or this place on your date. Remember what happened to Leo.”

“Yeah. Or you.” He forced a smile.

“Thanks for that, Josh.” My eyes are down on a paper in front of me. “I needed that reminder.”

“I just --.”

“Go to lunch.”

He nods as he walks out and I can finally get to the papers I need to review. 

Why does he have to do that? He knows I lost Jimmy because I took the job. I mean, it’s a damn good job. I am Deputy Chief of Staff for the President of the United States of America! I am damn important! And, you know what, who needs Jimmy Sanders? Certainly not I! I mean, who cares if he’s gorgeous? And who cares if he’s ... damn near perfect? I would just as soon date Josh.

Yeah, yeah. I said Josh. No, I don’t like him. He’s just a nice boy ... err ... man. He’s eleven years older than me. I bet he doesn’t feel too good about working for a younger woman.

He sleeps with younger women. Why should he care about working for one for ... a lot of hours a day? He shouldn’t. You know why? He shouldn’t care because Amy, his girlfriend, controls him more than I do.

Hours must have passed.

“Boss?”

I look up to see Josh. “Yeah?”

“You okay in there? I’ve been trying to call you for 20 minutes ... and you didn’t answer me when I told you I was back.”

“Oh! I’m fine. I was ... uhh ... thinking.” Pause. “Anything I can do for you?”

“Amy and I broke up.”

I stand and grab a paper. I begin walking out the door. “Yeah?”

He walks with me. “Well, I broke it off with her.”

“And?” I stop to get myself a cup of coffee. I turn and put the paper on the desk outside CJ’s office.

“Any advice?”

I look at him. “Josh ... you already told her what you wanted to. Now what do you need help with?”

“Getting the woman I am interested in to go out to dinner with me.”

We start walking again. “Did you ask her yet?”

“No.”

“Step one.”

“I don’t know how to ask her.”

I stop again. “Do you have vocal chords?”

“Yes.”

“Do you have a voice box?” I take a sip of my coffee.

“Yes.”

“Can you manage to piece together a coherent sentence?”

“If I think about it for a while.”

I start to walk again. “Well, then as you type up the memo on overcrowding in city schools for the DOE, you can think about it. But I don’t want to read something with her name in it ... I want to see my memo typed neatly.”

“Yes. Sure.”

I enter my office again. “You’re a good man, Josh. She’d be a fool to say no to you.” I smile as I see him smile.

“Thanks, Donna.”

“Anytime.” Pause. “Now get out. I have work to do.”

He smiles as he shoves his hands into his pockets and heads out to his desk.

About an hour later he comes in and hands me the memo. Only, it’s not a memo:

            Donna –

                        How would you like to go out to dinner and have drinks with me tonight?

                                                                        -- Josh

I stand, shaking my head. Did my assistant, Josh Lyman, just ask me out to dinner? 

I walk to my door. “Josh?”

His face flushes and he looks at me. “Yeah, Donna?”

I smile at him. “Only a few drinks. Remember, you have a sensitive system.” I turn back and go into my office.

He must have jumped up and run to my door. “Donna?”

I am leaning against my desk, looking at him. I smirk. “Yes?”

“Really?”

“If you get my memo done.”

He moves his hands from behind his back and hands me a paper. “I thought you might say that.”

I laugh. “You are crazy, Josh.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

“Go to work. We’ll get out of here at about eight.”

He smiles. “Okay.” He goes back to his desk.

I smile and walk out of the room. “Claudia Jean!” I should as I bound down the hall.

“Yeah?” She is sitting in her office, head resting in her left hand as she reads the paper. “Have you seen this?”

“What?” I close the door and walk in. I slip off my shoes and rest on her couch.

“Senator Blumberg is having an affair with his assistant.”

I swallow. “What’s the big deal?”

“Everything! I only hope to God no one around here decides to go fooling around with a staffer.”

I swallow again. 

CJ laughs. “I knew he was going to ask you out. I was just playing with you.”

“I hate you.”

“No. I think you love me.”

“Yeah, that’s it. I love you.”

“I knew it!” She laughs at me. “So, where are you going?”

“Dinner and drinks.”

“Sounds nice.”

“Am I doing the right thing?” I sigh. “I mean, he’s a nice guy.”

“And you’re crazy about him ...”

“And I’m crazy about ... wait. What?”

“You heard me, Donnatella. You are crazy about your assistant.”

“He certainly does drive me up a wall ...”

“I bet that’s not the only thing he would do with you involving a wall,” she mutters.

“I definitely heard that.”

She laughs and closes the paper. I can see her with that look of satisfaction. She knows. Damn her, she knows. “So, what are you going to wear?”

I look down at the clothes I have on. I am wearing a business suit. It’s gray. The skirt is just above my knee and I have on a white camisole and white button down shirt over that. “What’s wrong with this?”

“We’re going shopping at lunch.”

“CJ ... I don’t have time for that. And besides, it’s just dinner and some drinks.”

“You like the man?”

“Yes.”

“Dress like it.” She smiles. “Get your coat.”

I nod, slip my shoes on and walk out. I make a stop by Josh’s desk. “I am going shopping for ... some new things over lunch.” He looks up at me. I don’t know how to finish this. “I want to get a new dress for tonight.” My face flushes and I scurry into my office. Not ten seconds later, CJ opens my door and whisks me away.

Okay, so now we’re at the mall. The Deputy Chief of Staff and the Press Secretary are shopping at the mall ... in the middle of the day. You’d be shocked to know the number of reporters covering this. 

“What kind of outfit am I looking for?”

“Something that will catch his eye.”

A reporter shouts, “Catch whose eye?”

I turn to him. “Yours, sweetie.”

He blushes.

“Donnatella!” CJ grabs my arm and pulls me behind a wall. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, come on, CJ! It’s just a little fun.” I reach out and grab a short, red cocktail dress. “How about this?”

“Go try it on ... and go away.”

I laugh as I practically skip towards the dressing room. I can see CJ trying to keep the press away.

I change into the dress. It may be a little short, but it hugs all the right places. I step out and call CJ’s name.

“In the name of all that’s holy, Donna! You look gorgeous!”

I blush. “Think he’ll like it?”

“If he doesn’t, then I think he should be going out for dinner and drinks with Toby.”

I laugh. I see the flashes of many cameras. “Quite the headline: Donnatella Moss goes shopping.”

CJ laughs. “Go change. Lunch is almost over.”

I do so and come out to pay for the dress.

About 20 minutes later we are back in the West Wing. I walk past Josh’s desk and into my office. I have a smile on my face.

The rest of the day flies back. Its seven o’clock and I want to leave. I walk out into the bullpen and look at Josh. “Give me ten minutes and we’ll get out of here.” I wander down the hall into the restroom. CJ enters shortly after.

“So ... let me see.”

I turn to her. I am wearing the dress – it is a little short. My hair is down over my shoulders. I have a moderate amount of makeup on. “Well?”

“My God, Donna. You look great.”

I smile. “Thanks, CJ. I just hope he thinks the same thing.”

She nods and holds the door for me. I walk out and head towards the bullpen. Sam is walking by and stops dead in his tracks. The same reaction comes from Toby. I smile at them and I overhear Sam. “Josh is the luckiest assistant in the West Wing.”

I walk up and sit on the corner of Josh’s desk, crossing my legs. “Okay. That’s enough. Turn the computer off and let’s go.”

He damn near falls out of his seat. I mean, we’re talking millimeters. 

He can’t even find words. “Donna!” He jumps out of his chair. “I – I ... uhh ... wow! You look ... wow!”

I smile. “Get your coat, Lyman. We’re going out.”

He grabs his coat, then takes mine and slips it over my shoulders. “I am SO showing you off tonight.”

I laugh. “Sure, Josh.”

He puts his hand in the small of my back and guides me down the halls. He’s getting some ‘hell yeah’ looks from some staffers and Senior staffers.

We get out the door and start walking towards a nice Italian restaurant. 

“You really look great, Donna.”

I smile. “Thanks, Josh.”

“I didn’t have time to change ... and I don’t ... I mean, I look ...”

“You look great, Josh.”

He blushes as we walk in. He holds the door for me and everything. It’s nice.

A few minutes later, we are sitting in a comfy booth in the back. Everyone seems to know who I am ... Josh doesn’t seem to care. I like that.

He starts making some various jokes. I laugh. Though they’re not the funniest I’ve ever heard, he’s got a good heart.

“So, then I said, ‘No, ma’am. This really is a political campaign.’!” He starts laughing at his own joke. How cute!

Dinner goes great. So do the drinks. He walks me home and I give him a small kiss on the cheek and I turn inside.

When I get up to my apartment, I open the window and look out at him. He’s standing right where he was, hand on his cheek. I can see his grin from where I am.

The next day I wake up with a goofy smile on my face. I wander into the bathroom and stare into the mirror.

“OH MY GOD!” I don’t know what to say. I, Josh Lyman, just had a dream that well, Donna was the boss ... and I was her... and I was ... I was the assistant ... and she was me. 

And we went on a date. And I – she ... looked amazing. Maybe I should ask her out to dinner. I raise an eyebrow at myself. I could have seen her naked. Damn. 

That was a weird-ass dream. I wanna dream like that more often!


End file.
